Ravens OC Teases Interesting Change

Calling the Baltimore Ravens' running back room crowded would be quite the understatement.

Obviously, Derrick Henry is the star of the show after rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first season with the Ravens, continuing nearly a decade of dominance in the NFL. However, he's far from alone in the backfield. Justice Hill has proven to be a strong third-down back as both a blocker and a pass catcher, Keaton Mitchell looks like he's back to being a home-run threat after battling injuries last season and even Rasheen Ali is making a solid case for a roster spot.

That's a lot of figurative mouths to feed, and if the Ravens use just one running back for the majority of snaps, as they did last year with mostly Henry and Hill, they won't be able to make everyone happy.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken is well aware of that fact, which is why shared Tuesday that he's looking into using more two-running back formations this season.

"It's our job to get the best players on the field," Monken told reporters. "So, [if] that's what you're getting at, [it] is true. Our ability to be versatile, not only by run-pass modes, it's also by who's out there, what grouping [and] what do we do out of each group. But, we certainly have to look at that a lot more as we continue to move forward because having Keaton back [from his injury] and also Rasheen Ali, those guys are really good players."

Two-running back sets don't seem to be as common today as they were in the past, but they very much still exist. Some teams have used them to great effect over the past few years, and with how dominant the Ravens' rushing attack has been, they could become one of those teams.

It is worth noting that the Ravens line up in shotgun formation the vast majority of the time. According to Pro Football Focus, they lined up in shotgun on 660 of 1,055 offensive plays last season, which translates to roughly 62.6 percent of their plays. That doesn't necessarily make using two-running back formations any harder or easier, but it could limit when they decide to use them.

Monken has taken the Ravens' offense to new heights over his first two seasons at the helm, so if he's thinking of using these sets, he should be able to use them to great effect.